The new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says his idea of how his team should play stays same regardless of the tactics he decides to use in games.
Peseiro made this known while responding to questions during the team’s pre match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s AFCON 2023 qualifiers game against Sierra Leone in Abuja.
OwnGoalNigeria.com senior editor, Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman sought to hear from the coach which tactics is his favourite as he has so far used two different formations in just two games in charge of the team.
Super Eagles started the game against Mexico which they lost 1-2 playing in a 5-3-2 formation before switching to 4-4-2. A move which the coach explained was due to the players available to him.
He explained that regardless of the system he plays, he want the Super Eagles to play an attacking brand of football and dominate teams both offensively and defensively.
“We played 5-3-2 not because I like playing 5-3-2 but you know the players who are there. You know I adapt our model, our tactics to the players who came with us there. Local players but first of all I try to put in the pitch, the normal players in the national team. After that I put young players in the field. For creating that team for the eleven that will play, I use the characteristic of the players to play 5-3-2”, he explained.
In my mind I have to manage the players. We could not play 4-3-2 or 4-4-2 because I didn’t have all the players there. More defensive players than in attack, more defensive players than midfield players only that. You can play 3-5-2, 4-3-2 or 4-3-3. It’s not about the model, the main thing is the principle.
I like to attack, I like to play with high pressure, I like to command the game with the ball. I can do it with 5-3-2, 4-4-2, 3-4-3 like you want but with little training of course and you need time for that but I know I have players with quality, who can learn quickly. It’s different when you train Nigeria than other teams who don’t have qualities like our players. What I know is that they learn quickly”, he concluded.
